At first light the next day, Merlin went to the highest floor of the tower and quietly waited outside Wizard Leo's door.

"Creak."

Very soon, Wizard Leo pushed open the large door and walked out. Seeing that Merlin was already waiting for him, he smiled and nodded with a serene expression. "Let's go, I'll bring you to a place today."

Merlin nodded and did not ask any questions. He followed behind Wizard Leo.

Wizard Leo brought Merlin out of the tower and came to a place with Runic Magic Circles packed densely together. Merlin knew that this was the Runic Magic Circle for leaving the Dark Magic Region. It seemed that Wizard Leo was bringing him outside.

"Buzz."

Wizard Leo's tremendous Mind Power activated one of the Runic Magic Circles. The figures of Merlin and Wizard Leo were enveloped in the dense lines of runes and they disappeared in a flash.

…

In a peaceful valley, two figures appeared in mid-air, their bodies circled by mysterious runes that had not dissipated.

Merlin, dressed in a long, black Wizard robe, surveyed the valley curiously. In the Runic Magic Circle earlier, he had experienced a pressure that was greater than the previous time. This meant that the distance that they had traveled through the Runic Magic Circle was extremely far.

"Come on, we need to hurry!"

Wizard Leo said with a straight face. With a wave of his hand, a fierce burst of Wind Element surrounded his body, after which it quickly wrapped around Merlin as well. Thereafter, both rose up in the air and began to fly into the distance.

Only spells that were above Fourth-level could enable flight. Moreover, it was even more difficult to be able to pull it off like Wizard Leo, who had easily supported another person's flight. This demonstrated the enormous amount of Magic Power in Wizard Leo's body.

They were flying at a high speed. Merlin glanced down and took in view of countless rivers, mountains, and jungles, which evoked a peculiar sensation in him. Perhaps a Spell Caster could only be considered a truly powerful Wizard if they were able to soar so freely.

Merlin had already become a First-level Spell Caster but this was only the beginning. He would be able to defeat some Third-level Spell Casters by relying on Pandora Demon Ability, but he was still weak and puny compared to a Fourth-level Spell Caster.

At the very least, a Fourth-level Spell Caster with a Flying spell would render Merlin completely helpless! This huge disparity could not be bridged by any spells or Pandora Demon Ability!

As countless thoughts flashed across Merlin's mind, Wizard Leo was already leading Merlin into a slow descend, and they finally landed in a valley that was surrounded by mountains.

This stretch of the valley was covered in dense jungles. There was also a winding brook which was flowing quietly. However, the strange thing was there were no signs of any wild beasts.

Merlin looked toward Wizard Leo in puzzlement. What did Wizard Leo bring him here for?

Wizard Leo asked suddenly, "Merlin, didn't you notice anything?"

Merlin furrowed his brow. Upon listening to what Wizard Leo said, he quickly extended his Mind Power to his surroundings but was unable to sense anything amiss.

Thus, Merlin shook his head slightly. "Wizard Leo, I didn't discover anything wrong with this place."

A smile tugged at the corner of Wizard Leo's lips, and he said in a somewhat rueful voice, "To be able to portray such a life-like illusion – even without meticulous runic techniques – it's possible to accomplish through spells!"

With that, Wizard Leo waved his hand abruptly, and his tremendous Mind Power became like a wild gale that tore through the vast valley.

It was hard to imagine the immensity of Wizard Leo's Mind Power. Although Mind Power was something intangible and phantasmal, Merlin was scared out of his wits under this powerful surge of Mind Power which was unable to even muster up a shred of resistance.

This was the embodiment of Mind Power that had reached its pinnacle. Wizard Leo's Mind Power had far surpassed the limits of what Sixth-level Spell Casters could contain, where it approached the standard of Seventh-level, or even higher.

However, the thing that really stunned Merlin was after Wizard Leo's Mind Power swept over everything, the entire valley seemed to be wiped away bit by bit and then vanished without a trace. Before Merlin was a massive, barren hillside that was even larger than the valley earlier.

Below the hillside stood a gigantic stone tablet with two large words inscribed in Molta language –"Abyss Fort".

"Abyss Fort? This place is Abyss Fort?"

Merlin was astonished. He did not expect the previous scenery of green hills and clear rivers to turn into Abyss Fort which looked rather gloomy, frightening, and desolate.

"Which Wizard is it who has graced us with their presence?"

Very soon, a few Spell Casters quickly came out from a huge hole behind the stone tablet. They did not possess a powerful force, so they could have been First- and Second-level Spell Casters.

These Spell Casters were just like the ones in the Dark Magic Region who were guarding the entry passage in order to earn a few contribution points. They had just felt an alarming surge of Mind Power, which had forcibly dispelled the mighty Illusion spell maintained by Abyss Fort, so they came out in bewilderment to greet whoever it was.

Only a Spell Caster with terrifying power would be able to forcibly dispel the Illusion spell of Abyss Fort with their Mind Power. Thus, although these Spell Casters were at the doorway of Abyss Fort, they did not feel particularly bold.

The blood-red third eye on Wizard Leo's forehead opened slowly, shining with beams of crimson light. Wizard Leo said in a level tone, "Report to Wizard Hobbes that Leo from the Dark Magic Region is here to pay a visit!"

"Wizard Leo? You're Wizard Leo from the Dark Magic Region who had cultivated Darkness Eye and hunted the Seventh-level Spell Caster Osseus from Ozmu?"

Upon hearing Wizard Leo's name, the Spell Casters from Abyss Fort turned pale with shock.

Wizard Leo's beheading of a Seventh-level Spell Caster from Ozmu had astonished many spell casters' organizations. However, the ones which were most taken aback were from Abyss Fort as their expertise was Darkness-type spells. Even though they possessed the cultivation method of Wizard Leo's Darkness Eye, none of them was able to cultivate it successfully.

Wizard Leo had relied on Darkness Eye to bypass his own level and behead a Seventh-level Spell Caster from Ozmu. This, to Abyss Fort, was a momentous breakthrough, allowing them to truly comprehend how powerful Darkness Eye was.

"Wizard Leo, please wait for a moment. We'll report immediately to Wizard Hobbes!"

These First- and Second-level Spell Casters did not dare to dawdle after seeing that it was Wizard Leo and instantly disappeared into the large hole as they reported the visit to the higher levels of Abyss Fort.

Merlin eyed the gigantic stone tablet and nodded his head thoughtfully. He would have expected this since Wizard Leo had said that he wanted to help him obtain a Darkness-type Spell that was above Second-level and even a Darkness-type Pandora Demon Ability.

Where else could Merlin's need be fulfilled other than Abyss Fort, the experts of Darkness-type spells? Even Sterling House, which was overseen by the Great Wizard Sterling, could not possibly have the complete collection of various Darkness-type spells and Darkness-type Pandora Demon Abilities.

"Merlin, although the Darkness-type spell I'm constructing within my body is suitable for you, I can't pass it to you because this spell was obtained from Abyss Fort. What's more, I've signed a contract with Abyss Fort that I'm not allowed to pass on Darkness-type spells to others. Therefore, if you want a Darkness-type spell above Second-level, you can only get it from Abyss Fort."

Wizard Leo explained the simple reason he could not pass the Darkness-type spell to Merlin. It turned out that Wizard Leo's spell was also acquired from Abyss Fort, and that he had signed a contract with them.

Even so, Wizard Leo could have paid a rather hefty price to acquire Darkness-type spells from Abyss Fort. This time around, in order to let Merlin pick up a Darkness-type spell that was above Second-level as well as a Pandora Demon Ability, Wizard Leo could have to pay an even greater price.

Moreover, Merlin could vaguely guess what Wizard Leo had used to exchange for the spells in Abyss Fort, and he could not help wear a complicated expression.

Before long, a Wizard with a wizened frame and an aged face walked out of the hole.

"Wizard Leo! It's really you who came!"

The old Wizard's voice was low and raspy, and he spoke in a calm tone.

"Wizard Hobbes, it's been decades since I've seen you, but you still look the same!"

The blood-red third eye in Wizard Leo's forehead widened slightly and a smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"Is he your student?"

Wizard Hobbes was reserved and unsmiling, revealing a perpetually stiff expression. His gaze landed briefly on Merlin before fixing onto Wizard Leo as he questioned.

"Merlin, come quickly and meet Wizard Hobbes. He's a Seventh-level Spell Caster from the Dark Magic Region!1"

It turned out that Wizard Hobbes was, in fact, a Seventh-level Spell Caster. Merlin hurriedly came forward and bowed respectfully, before standing on the side.

Wizard Hobbes gave Merlin a deep look, and a stiff semblance of a smile appeared on his face. With his throaty voice, he said, "Wizard Leo, the last time you came to Abyss Fort was to construct your Darkness-type spell. It's been sixty years, and now you're here again for this young fellow?"

Wizard Hobbes had a shrewd, piercing gaze, and was able to make out Wizard Leo's intentions in one glance.

However, Wizard Leo did not reply immediately but instead looked around. "Wizard Hobbes, is Abyss Fort going to let me stand outside here to discuss the matters of 'Darkness Eye' with you?"

"Darkness Eye?"

Wizard Hobbes' eyes focused abruptly, and a powerful pressure sensation flashed across their bodies. It felt like when Wizard Leo had released his massive Mind Power earlier, making one unable to summon a single shred of resistance.

"Wizard Leo, welcome once again to Abyss Fort. In all these years, you're the only Wizard from outside who has been allowed into Abyss Fort twice!"

Wizard Hobbes stepped to one side and invited Wizard Leo and Merlin into Abyss Fort. It was evident that Wizard Leo's mention of "Darkness Eye" had attracted Wizard Hobbes' significant interest. Otherwise, as Spell Casters from the Dark Magic Region, Wizard Leo and Merlin would not have been able to enter Abyss Fort.

Therefore, Merlin followed behind Wizard Leo and entered the huge, pitch-black hole.

This is likely a typo; the author might have meant to say that Wizard Hobbes was a Seventh-level Spell Caster in Abyss Fort and not the Dark Magic Region.